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Last year, on November (Black Friday), I traded my 1993 Miata with some cash for a nice looking 2006 Cooper S.
There are some minor dings and rock-chips, slightly torn driver's seat, and an annoying SRS light issue. I'm hoping that these issues can be remedied fairly inexpensively.
(I'm missing 2 hub caps )
Miata (naturally aspirated 5-speed) vs Cooper S (Supercharged 6-speed)
Suspension
Compared to the Miata, the Cooper is one comfortable and luxurious ride! Having being used to driving a car with a very stiff suspension, the Mini is extremely comfortable. Before, while in the Miata, my knees would be in aching pain after only minutes of driving (my legs would be in a V-formation). But in the Mini, my legs are perfectly fine (my legs are now in a normal driving position). The ride is firm, but my knees and back feel very well supported. A/C OMG! The air conditioner in the Mini is amazing! The A/C is great to use in all climates and any driving scenario. The car doesn't bog down when the A/C is on and I don't have to keep the engine Revs high. I feel as if I'm in the future!
On the Miata, whenever I turned on the A/C, the engine would immediately drop RPMs (think of it as a reverse Turbo feature). Granted, to cool and heat the interior, it worked flawlessly, but when I was driving with it on, I always ran the risk of stalling my car. Drivetrain (NA vs Supercharger
Wow, the Mini is fast! I've never had such a great responsive car before with so much power! I love the Supercharger wine and the instant, on-demand boost.
For awhile, driving a naturally aspirated car was nice, but driving on the freeway in Los Angeles was a nightmare! Although the car had a racing clutch and a light-weighted flywheel, it was fairly slow. As such, I'd always get tail-gated by some obnoxious SUV. Overall experience The Cooper S is amazing. It's practical to use as a daily driver (4 seats!) and is extremely fun to drive. The only thing I dislike so far is that some of the build quality is questionable (i.e. SRS wiring issues, cheap interior trim, etc).
Anyways sorry for the lengthy thesis but this car is just so awesome!
Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your purchase!
Thank you! I will definitely try to see if my local dealership will honor this recall.
Awesome! I will be shopping for parts...as soon as I save enough $
Hi H C,
Welcome to nam!
It feels good to drive a car with a high safety rating and drives like a Go Kart!
The fun factor has to be a 9 to 10.
The 05 and 06 are know to have the better engines than the 07 to 10.
I have both 05 S and 06 S jcw and love hem both.
It definitely feels better knowing there are some crash protection.
Coming from a '93 Miata, my '06 Cooper S feels luxury sedan. I'm higher off the ground, I'm sitting up-right, and is FWD.
It's good to know! Although my car has 151,000 miles, it still drives like it was brand new!
Btw, is there a realistic, noticeable performance difference the S and JCW? I'm not interested in taking it to the track.
Oh, this is my first Forced Induction car. Is there any special precautions that I should be aware of? Is there any way to find out when the supercharger is about to boost? I know turbo chargers have boost gauges...the Mini doesn't.
Thanks!
Originally Posted by ItsmeWayne
Hi H C,
Welcome to nam!
It feels good to drive a car with a high safety rating and drives like a Go Kart!
The fun factor has to be a 9 to 10.
The 05 and 06 are know to have the better engines than the 07 to 10.
I have both 05 S and 06 S jcw and love hem both.
I should have told you the safety rating is 9.2 out of 10.
You can put a boost gauge on for boost, if you wanted to.
Since I have both S and JCW S, there is really not much more power. The real advantage is the better suspension and a limited slip differential on the JCW.
I love both equally, but in different ways. Look on the JCW thread and see how that all is. The injectors are larger, which is a plus, but the mileage is better on the S. I did a 9 month study on my 05 S and it got an average of 31.5 mpg. Not sure of the 06 S JCW yet, but I am guessing less than the other.
Some things that need attention are: The crank vibration dampener goes bad. This can ruin your day and it has happened to both of my S cars. The serpentine belts needs changing if you see any cracks on the inside.
Don't use a oil type air filter, as they can cause drivabilty issues and code throwing.
Make sure to use NGK iridium spark plugs (they work the best and last a very long time). Using a higher priced coil (non OEM) is not going make any real difference.
Make sure the brakes are in good shape, as stopping fast cars is also important.
Mostly, if you are having an issue with your Mini, make sure to ask the folks here, as they will steer you to the answers you need.
Congrats on your buy and we hope you contribute here often.
Good to know!
Thanks for all the advice! I'm glad that there's a forum that encourages dyi and troubleshooting.
Originally Posted by ItsmeWayne
I should have told you the safety rating is 9.2 out of 10.
You can put a boost gauge on for boost, if you wanted to.
Since I have both S and JCW S, there is really not much more power. The real advantage is the better suspension and a limited slip differential on the JCW.
I love both equally, but in different ways. Look on the JCW thread and see how that all is. The injectors are larger, which is a plus, but the mileage is better on the S. I did a 9 month study on my 05 S and it got an average of 31.5 mpg. Not sure of the 06 S JCW yet, but I am guessing less than the other.
Some things that need attention are: The crank vibration dampener goes bad. This can ruin your day and it has happened to both of my S cars. The serpentine belts needs changing if you see any cracks on the inside.
Don't use a oil type air filter, as they can cause drivabilty issues and code throwing.
Make sure to use NGK iridium spark plugs (they work the best and last a very long time). Using a higher priced coil (non OEM) is not going make any real difference.
Make sure the brakes are in good shape, as stopping fast cars is also important.
Mostly, if you are having an issue with your Mini, make sure to ask the folks here, as they will steer you to the answers you need.
Congrats on your buy and we hope you contribute here often.
Thank you! I will definitely try to see if my local dealership will honor this recall.
Awesome! I will be shopping for parts...as soon as I save enough $
Gorgeous car! I as well have an 06 in Chili Red and have loved every minute of it. Just installed my first mods if you wanna call it that, DDMWORKS intake along with new WMW red ignition wires seeing as mine were the originals. Welcome and enjoy your car.
Thanks. But looking closely, I'm noticing some rock chips and some shopping cart dings The PO obviously drove a lot on the freeway. The car looks great 10 feet away...10" away, it looks awful.
The first thing I've done after getting this car was replacing the worn out tires and replacing the Coolant overflow tank. The brakes and Supercharger were replaced last year.
Next step, save enough money for Strut Tower Defenders and Under Tower Indurators.
Originally Posted by Minime84
Gorgeous car! I as well have an 06 in Chili Red and have loved every minute of it. Just installed my first mods if you wanna call it that, DDMWORKS intake along with new WMW red ignition wires seeing as mine were the originals. Welcome and enjoy your car.
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